When Integration Tightens Too Much: Patient Experience with Physician Communication and Overall Hospital Ratings in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals

This grant-funded research report from The University of Texas Health Center at Houston offers the first national evidence on how physician–hospital integration models influence patient experience—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing six national datasets from 2019 and 2022, the study finds that tightly integrated models were associated with lower patient ratings and less resilience in crisis, while more flexible approaches better sustained communication and overall experience.